Can You Dye Furniture Fabrics?

Know Your Fibers

• Different types of fiber require different types of dye. Cotton, linen, rayon and other plant fibers do best with Procion fiber-reactive dyes. Wool and nylon require acid dyes. Silk can be dyed with either acid dyes or Procion-type dyes, but the colors will be more vivid if acid dyes are used. Polyester and most other synthetic fibers (except nylon) require special dyes which are not easy for the layman to use; these are best avoided by amateurs. If your fabric is a blend of different fibers, the individual threads will take dye depending on their fiber content. If the furniture fabrics you are working with involve polyester embroidery on cotton cloth, for example, and you use cotton dyes, the cotton will change colors and the polyester thread will stay its original color. Dyeing blended fabrics can produce beautiful and unexpected results, but it might result in an ugly mess instead. Be cautious, and always test a small swatch of fabric before dyeing the whole piece.

Washable Fabric

• Many upholstery fabrics are dry clean only, because they are designed to go on furniture which will (obviously) never go into the washing machine. While most fabrics that are labeled dry clean only can actually be washed without falling apart, they are liable to shrink or otherwise be deformed by washing. Fabrics made of blended fibers are especially at risk, as one type of fiber may shrink while another type doesn't, resulting in deformation. If you attempt to dye fabric that is labeled dry clean only, it's best to send a test swatch through the washing machine first and measure it carefully before and after, to see whether it has shrunk. Also, wash your fabric thoroughly in hot water before dyeing, to remove any stain-resistant coatings.

Choosing Colors

• Dyeing is not limited to white fabrics! Any but the darkest furniture fabrics can be overdyed; the colors of the dye will blend with the original colors of the fabric to produce a new color. For instance, if you dye blue fabric with yellow dye, you will get green fabric. Be especially cautious when working with patterned fabric, however, as the same dye color applied to different colors in a pattern may have unappealing results.

The Dye Process

• Follow the manufacturer's instructions when dyeing. In general, acid dyes need heat, so if you use acid dyes, plan to do your dyeing in a large pot on the stove. Plant fibers can be dyed relatively easily in the washing machine. If you should attempt to dye polyester, you will definitely need to use the stove. Don't use all-purpose dyes such as Rit, as these are less colorfast and will tend to bleed and fade over time. Whichever type of dye you use, make sure to rinse the cloth thoroughly, because it is especially important for furniture fabrics to be colorfast.

Alternatives to Dyeing

• If you would like to dye a piece of upholstered furniture but you cannot remove the upholstery, you may be able to use fabric paint on it instead. This is also true of dry-clean-only fabrics and those made from fibers that are hard to dye. See Resources for instructions.